Walker releases ‘State of State’ excerpts

Governor Scott Walker delivers his 2013 State of the State Address. His office has released a few anticipated excerpts:

Bold Vision and Bright Hope for the Future: “Ladies and gentlemen, we are moving Wisconsin forward with bold vision and bright hope for the future.

Two years ago, when I first stood here as your new governor, Wisconsin was facing a $3.6 billion dollar budget deficit, property taxes had gone up 27 percent over the previous decade, increasing every year, and the unemployment rate was 7.8 percent.

Today, Wisconsin has a $342 million dollar budget surplus, property taxes on a median valued home went down in each of the last two years, and the unemployment rate – well – it’s down to 6.7 percent.

We’re turning things around. We’re heading in the right direction…”

Tough, But Prudent, Decisions Mean We Can Invest in Wisconsin: “We made tough, but prudent, decisions to get our fiscal house in order. Today, unlike the federal government and many of our neighboring states, we have a surplus, which will allow us to invest in our priorities.”

Middle-Class Tax Cut: “With the introduction of my proposed budget next month, I will lay out a clear plan for reducing the burden on hard-working families by lowering income taxes on the middle class. We want to continue to put more money in the hands of the hard-working taxpayers and small business owners in our state.

Unlike the message coming out of Washington, I believe that putting more money in the hands of the people—instead of the government—is good for the economy.”

Mining for Jobs to Improve Life for Our Friends and Neighbors: “Our top priority is helping the people of our state create more jobs… A mine would be a lifeline to people in northwestern Wisconsin, where the unemployment rate in Iron County is the 2nd highest in the state at nearly 12 percent. But the benefits will be felt all across Wisconsin.”

Making Educational Opportunities Accessible: “Every child should have access to a great education. We continue to expand the number of choices for families in Wisconsin—be it a traditional, a charter, a voucher, a virtual, or a home school environment. Moving forward, we want to continue to dramatically improve existing schools and give parents the opportunity to choose legitimate alternatives to failing schools.”